Wilhelm II of Germany

Wilhelm II of Germany (27 January 1859-4 June 1941) was the final Emperor of the German Empire, reigning from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. Wilhelm succeeded Friedrich III of Germany, and he was overthrown by the November Revolution and replaced by Friedrich Ebert and the Weimar Republic.

Biography
Wilhelm was born on 27 January 1859, the son of Kaiser Friedrich III of Germany and Victoria, Princess Royal, making him the grandson of Wilhelm I of Germany, Victoria of Britain, and Prince Albert and a relative of most of Europe's monarchs. Wilhelm had stunted emotional development due to a birth defect that left his left arm 6 inches shorter than his right arm, which he concealed by clasping his left hand with his right hand, or by wearing a long glove. His mother felt guilty for his emotional state and his disability and taught him how to become a great rider of horses, and he developed a fascination with the Prussian Army since his youth. Wilhelm frequently dressed in Prussian military uniform, and he was rarely seen out of uniform during his older years.

In 1888, he succeeded his father as Emperor of the German Empire and King of Prussia, and he decided to turn Germany into a military power. Wilhelm dismissed Chancellor Otto von Bismack in 1890 and decided to send expeditions to put down anti-European uprisings in China and parts of Africa. These expeditions were conducted with brutality, and Wilhelm ordered his men to take no prisoners and emulate the Huns of old. He also began an arms race against the United Kingdom, and he allied with Austria-Hungary against Britain, France, and the Russian Empire. In 1914, Wilhelm declared war on the "Triple Entente" as an ally of Austria-Hungary, leading his nation into World War I. He was an ineffective wartime leader, and he lost the support of the military when the war went downhill in 1918. On 9 November 1918, after several mutinies and protests, Wilhelm was overthrown in the "November Revolution", and he went into exile in the Netherlands, where he died in 1941.